Clay Elliott – No One Trick Pony

Airdrie, ALTA – May 15, 2017 – Sometimes things just work out. And for Clay Elliott, the weekend just completed was one of those times.

First of all, there was his draw in the bronc riding at the Stavely Indoor Pro Rodeo, on the longtime Vold Rodeo superstar, Pedro. “I’d never been on him,” the reigning Canadian champion acknowledged. “So that was obviously something I’d been looking forward to.

“He’s pretty electric feeling,” Elliott said of the 12 year-old brown gelding. “He stays low to the ground and makes a few lead changes out there. I thought he’d maybe bucked me off at about four seconds and I was glad to get by him. I’d say he’s kind of a semi-eliminator and I’d love to draw him again.

”Elliott followed up his first place 85.5 point, $1566 bronc ride with an 8.4 second run in the tie down roping, that netted the 23 year-old Nanton, Alberta cowboy fourth place and another $1263. It was the first time this year the second generation cowboy had entered the roping.

“I enjoy roping,” Elliott admitted, “but I also know that it takes as much time and energy and dedication to be successful at that as it does in the bronc riding. And I just don’t have the time to do all the things it would take to be successful in the tie down or team roping events. Plus it’s hard to work it when you’re entering with three other bronc riders. This worked out great because it was twenty minutes from home. Dad (Vern) got my horse ready and I roped for a couple of days at Taylors over in Parkland but I know it won’t work that way very often.”

Cue a huge sigh of relief from the other tie down ropers. The bronc riding win moved Elliott in to the top ten in the Canadian standings and gave him a nice bump in the world standings where he had been sitting in ninth place going into the weekend. The BC bred talent jumped on a plane after his Stavely effort to fly to Goodwell, Oklahoma where he was helping with a bronc riding school. Later this week he’ll make his way to Redding, California, then back to Canada for stops at Falkland and the non-sanctioned invitational Cloverdale Rodeo.

Other Stavely winners included Dewinton bull rider, Brock Radford who conquered the Vold bull, Corona Time for a spectacular 91 points and a $1547 payday. Three time Bareback Riding Champion, Jake Vold, continued his winning ways with an 87 point showing on Vold’s Dancing Queen to pocket $1492 and in Team Roping , it was the Barrhead Brandens, Grady and Quentin, with a 4.5 second run sending each home with $1329.

The steer wrestling saw a split of top spot with Ty Miller of Wainwright and Jay Many Grey Horses of Standoff both posting 3.5 second runs for $2000 each while another split in tie down roping featured a couple of CFR veterans, Carstairs cowboy, Kyle Lucas and Logan Hofer of Magrath who cashed identical cheques for $1940 by virtue of their 8.2 second runs.

In the barrel race, Rebecca Miller continued her climb up the Canadian standings. The Dalemead cowgirl’s 13.645 second time, earned her a tidy $2039.

Reigning Canadian champion, Dixon Tattrie of Youngstown, Alberta claimed the Stavely steer riding title with a 77 point ride for $426.

For complete Stavely results go to rodeocanada.com.

The Road to the CFR heads west for its next action—a May 20-22 stop at the Falkland Stampede in Falkland, British Columbia.

About the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) with headquarters in Airdrie, Alta. is the sanctioning body for professional rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves over 50 events annually with a total payout exceeding $5.1 million. Join us for our premiere event – the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) November 8-12, 2017 at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat at @prorodeocanada, like Canadian Professional Rodeo Association on Facebook, or online at RodeoCanada.com.

Courtesy of CPRA